(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a process for treating a liquid with a processing gas which is blown in by means of a gas injector which is immersed in a bath of said liquid. This mode of transfer, which results from the formation of a plurality of gas bubbles in the liquid, enables to increase at the maximum the interface gas/liquid, to ensure the longest time of residence possible of the gas in the bath and to produce a type of turbulent flow which is favorable to heat and mass transfers.
(b) Description of Prior Art
However, it happens that the bubbles so formed hardly penetrate into the bath and have a tendency to come back and cluster against the cutlet of the injector thereby forming large bubbles which then rapidly climb towards the surface of the bath without fulfilling the functions mentioned above. An explanation for this undesirable phenomenon is that the gaseous flux which originates from the injector has an insufficient quantity of movement (product of "mass.times.speed") to produce the required turbulence. This is particularly the case of the treatment of non newtonien fluids, such as liquid metals or viscous pastes. In addition to the disadvantage mentioned above of a small utilization of the processing gas, it will be noted that when the treatment is carried out under elevated temperature with oxygen which produces an exothermic reaction with the liquid, hot points are formed in the vicinity of the outlet of the injector, with a risk of destruction of the end of the injector.